Friendly feathers

Sir — Playing badminton, especially on winter evenings, is a favourite pastime for many. Armed with plastic racquets and nylon shuttlecocks, people spend many a pleasant evening with friends. But prime importance is often accorded to the friend who had a shuttlecock made of duck feathers. It is thus heartening to learn that using new research, scientists have crafted nylon shuttlecocks that perfectly mimic the aerodynamic features of duck feathers. The superior nylon shuttlecocks could well be the tool that ends up saving friendships. For who has not had a big fight with a friend over the sharing of a shuttlecock?

Subroto Naskar, Calcutta

Jobs for all

Sir — The right to livelihood is an implied part of the right to life promised in Article 21 of the Constitution. Prabhat Patnaik has thus rightly argued that it is time that this right be explicitly guaranteed (“For greater good”, Jan 11). This will not only provide financial stability to all citizens but also allow effective utilisation of the nation’s resources. The Soviet Union had already shown through meticulous planning how zero unemployment could be achieved. India can only become an economic giant if it guarantees either remunerative employment or a living wage for every citizen.

Sneha Maji, Calcutta

Sir — Prabhat Patnaik has written about five fundamental economic rights that should be given to each citizen. These would, he estimates, cost not more than 10% of the gross domestic product in addition to what is already being spent. He claims that this objective can be fulfilled by levying a 2% wealth tax and 33% inheritance tax on the top 1% of the population. India has pronounced wealth inequality — according to some estimates, the top 10% of India’s population owns 65% of the wealth, while the bottom 50% owns only 6%. There is currently no system of inheritance tax in India. Patnaik therefore has a valid point. His apprehensions of opposition from the privileged regarding the introduction of an inheritance tax are justified too.

Sukhendu Bhattacharjee, Hooghly

Sir — The view that unemployment is not the fault of the unemployed person but of the policies of the government is justified. The present dispensation is hiding the unemployment problem with religious fanfare. Worse, the Centre has now denied funds even under existing job schemes to some Opposition-ruled states. Demonetisation had also led to the closure of several small-scale industries. The unemployment rate in India is 7.95%, while it hovers around 5% in China despite its high population. The government should take steps to rectify this situation.

Subhash Das, Calcutta

Gruesome tale

Sir — One is at a loss for words upon hearing about Suchana Seth, the 39-year-old CEO of a Bengaluru company, who has been charged with murdering her four-year-old son allegedly owing to a strained relationship with her husband. She is said to have travelled back to Bengaluru in a taxi with her son’s body in a suitcase. Seth has failed to perform a mother’s duty. The housekeeping staff who spotted a bloodstain in the apartment where Seth had stayed and the taxi driver who steered the car towards a police station without arousing Seth’s suspicion must be lauded for their presence of mind.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad

Sir — A mother smothering her own son and stuffing his body in a luggage bag is profoundly sad. Whether the filicide was committed in a fit of rage or was meticulously planned is still to be ascertained. Initial reports state that the woman was driven by her bitter estrangement from her husband. Timely counselling would surely have helped her cope with the strain of marital discord.

G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu